Civil and Family Court Fees

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Department for Constitutional Affairs has published a consultation paper, which sets out proposals for increases to certain civil and family court fees. The purpose of the consultation is to identify whether the package of proposed increases is the most apt to meet the need to increase fee income and to cover costs and seek views on whether a particular increase in an individual fee might have specific untoward consequences.
	Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and can also be obtained free on the department's website at the following web address: www.dca.gov.uk/consult/civilfam/civilfam.htm.
	The closing date for consultation is 18 November.

Conditional Fee Agreements

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: On 10 August 2005 I published the department's response to the consultation paper Making Simple CFAs a Reality, published on 29 June 2004.
	The paper New Regulation for CFAs: A summary of responses to the consultation paper "Making Simple CFAs a Reality"—DCA's conclusions and new regulations sets out the department's conclusions on the simplification of the CFAs and related secondary legislation. The paper includes drafts of the regulations (which have now been laid as the the Conditional Fee Agreements (Revocation) Regulations 2005 and the Access to Justice (Membership Organisation) Regulations 2005), which revoke the current secondary legislation governing CFAs, collective conditional fee agreement regulations (CCFA) and a new set of simplified membership organisation regulations. These regulations will be laid before Parliament separately.
	The current CFA regulations are unnecessarily complex and opaque and duplicate regulation already performed by the Law Society. Removing unnecessary regulation will apply to all CFAs which are used across a range of civil cases and will put into place the Government's commitment to introduce better regulation and strip out unnecessary legislation.
	The existing CFA and CCFA regulations will be revoked and the new simplified membership organisation regulations will be introduced from 1 November 2005. The primary legislation (Section 27 of the Access to Justice Act 1999) will provide the minimum government legislative framework needed for the use of CFAs by legal representatives. Primary responsibility for client care will be focused on solicitors through the Law Society's regulation. The DCA has been working closely with the Law Society on improvements to its guidance and rules and the Law Society plans to amend its rules and publish new CFA model agreements to coincide with the changes to regulations.
	Copies of the paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It is also available on the Department for Constitutional Affairs' website at www.dca.gov.uk.

Council of Europe: Summit Declaration

Lord Triesman: I have arranged for copies of the Council of Europe's third summit declaration and action plan to be placed in the Library of the House.
	My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister represented the United Kingdom at the summit held in Warsaw on 16 to 17 May 2005.
	At the summit, heads of state and government adopted a declaration and action plan focusing the future work of the Council of Europe on its core areas of promoting and protecting human rights, rule of law and pluralist democracy.
	A Council of Europe committee has been set up in Strasbourg to supervise follow-up action to the declaration and implementation of the action plan.

EU Committee of the Regions

Lord Triesman: The Government have decided to nominate four replacement UK members of the EU Committee of the Regions, to fill vacancies which had arisen in the UK delegation. The new members are: Councillor Sharon Taylor (East of England Regional Assembly); Councillor Dave Quayle (North West Regional Assembly); Councillor W J Williams (Isle of Anglesey County Council); and Councillor David Parsons (Leicestershire County Council and East Midlands Regional Assembly). In accordance with the established procedure, all the nominations have been approved by the Council.
	The Government made the nominations following the usual consultation process with local and regional government. It has paid particular attention to maintaining the appropriate regional, political, gender and ethnic balance of the UK delegation. This balance is not affected by the nominations.
	The Committee of the Regions was established by the Maastricht Treaty, as a consultative body with limited powers to give non-binding opinions on EU draft legislation. The UK delegation comprises 24 full members and 24 alternates.

EU Presidency: Economic and Financial Affairs Council

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I will chair the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) on 11 October 2005. The Paymaster General, Dawn Primarolo, will represent the UK. Items on the agenda are as follows:
	implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact; the Commission will update the Council on Hungary's excessive deficit procedure;
	competition policy: sectoral inquiries; Commissioner Kroes will present the latest progress in sectoral inquiries into key areas of the single market, including energy and financial services;
	financial services: Post-FSAP; ECOFIN will agree conclusions on the Commission's Green Paper on Financial Services Policy (2005–2010);
	progress and opportunities for better regulation, where the chairs of the three Lamfalussy committees of experts will report to ECOFIN for the first time, including on their role in promoting better regulation and making supervision in the financial services industry more proportionate and effective;
	EU-US economic relationship, where ECOFIN will consider a joint paper from the UK, Austrian and Finnish presidencies, which identifies the potential benefits of closer transatlantic economic co-operation; and
	economic regeneration of the West Bank and Gaza region, where Commissioner Almunia and EIB President Maystadt will give an oral report on progress in projects to support regeneration in the West Bank and Gaza.

Freedom of Information Act 2000: Implementation

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Today I have deposited copies of The Freedom of Information Act 2000: Statistics on Implementation in Central Government April to June 2005 in the Libraries of both Houses.
	This is the second quarterly bulletin produced by DCA monitoring the performance of central government and associated bodies under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It shows that the performance of government in meeting the statutory time limits for replying to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 has improved significantly since the first quarter.

Housing Act 2004: Commencement

Baroness Andrews: My honourable friend the Minister for Housing and Planning has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government are today publishing the detailed programme for commencement of Parts 1 to 4, 6 and 7 of the Housing Act 2004. Appendix 1 sets out a phased introduction of the provisions from November this year leading to a common commencement date of 6 April 2006 for all these provisions except for certain enforcement measures and the new tenancy deposit arrangements, which will follow later in 2006.
	The Government have previously announced a provisional timetable for introducing these provisions as from late autumn 2005. We are now in a position to confirm the full timetable, starting with the laying of the HHSRS regulations next month and completing tenant deposit protection in October 2006. This will maintain the momentum established with local authorities and landlord bodies over recent months to equip each to carry out their responsibilities effectively and at least cost to local taxpayers and tenants as from the due commencement date.
	By announcing this timetable, we are able to give certainty as to when the new provisions will be coming into force and enable all sides to prepare fully. The Government will continue to work with local authorities and landlords through the IDeA to complete the current training programme, and to extend the extensive local authority/landlord series of discussions that have proved so successful locally in getting the two sides to agree the basis on which applications are to be handled and funded.
	Making the secondary legislation available early in draft form, alongside guidance, and then laying the instruments in good time will do a great deal to inform discussions and ensure a wider understanding of the details and operation of the new system than would have been the case with an earlier commencement date.
	The ODPM is to appoint a contractor who will undertake work with local authorities to establish a baseline as from later this year and to monitor and measure the impact of the new licensing regime on the private rented sector. Officials will write to local authorities when an appointment has been made and provide details of when the main fieldwork periods will be.

Local Government Finance: Lyons Inquiry

Baroness Andrews: My right honourable friend the Minister of Communities and Local Government has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government announced on 20 September 2005 an extension of the scope and length of Sir Michael Lyons' independent inquiry into local government funding so that he can consider issues relating to the wider functions of local government and its future role.
	Sir Michael Lyons has discussed with Ministers his work so far and his initial conclusion is that well founded recommendations on possible reforms to the funding of local government cannot sensibly be made in isolation from proper consideration and understanding—not only by government but by the population at large—of the developing role and functions of local government. He has made clear that any proposals for reform of the funding system raise complex issues, and the Government have agreed that they need to be set firmly and explicitly within the wider context of a clear, shared understanding of the role of local government, and of councils' accountability to service users, residents and taxpayers. My right honourable friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have therefore extended the terms of reference of Sir Michael's inquiry so that he can consider issues relating to the functions of local government and its future role, as well as, and prior to, making recommendations on local government funding. His work will inform the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
	Sir Michael will issue a series of discussion documents and produce his final report at the end of 2006. To set the scene for this work, Sir Michael will in autumn 2005 set out his preliminary thinking and publish research and analysis undertaken so far, drawing out the relationship of local government function to finance.
	The Government have also announced that they intend to introduce legislation to postpone the revaluation of council tax in England. The case for council tax revaluation—that it is right to maintain a fair alignment between house prices and council tax bands—is linked to wider questions about the structure of the council tax, and to the operation of council tax benefit. It is also relevant that there are a number of other imminent changes in the local government finance system, including the move to three year budgets, the review of the local government finance formula, and the creation of a dedicated schools budget. We have reached the view, therefore, that to proceed with the current timetable for council tax revaluation in England would not be sensible. We propose to legislate to substitute for the current revaluation date of 2007 a power to set a date for revaluation by secondary legislation. This will provide for revaluation to take place in such a way as to take full account of Sir Michael Lyons' work on the functions of local government as well as its financing. The Government do not believe that revaluation will occur during this Parliament.
	I regret that the Government could not make this announcement while Parliament was sitting. However, having reached the decision to postpone revaluation, it was necessary to announce it immediately so that the preparatory work could be stood down and costs kept to a minimum. A copy of the press notice issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which announces the Government's decision, and which includes the extended terms of reference for Sir Michael Lyons' inquiry, has been placed in the House Library.
	The future of local government is critical to the future of the country, and the Government are determined to ensure that a sustainable and secure funding base supports the changing and challenging role for local government now being developed.

Murder and Manslaughter

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	On 1 September we published a consultation paper Hearing the Relatives of Murder and Manslaughter Victims.
	The Government believe that while all criminal justice agencies are making progress for example through the "No Witness, No Justice" programme more needs to be done to inform and engage victims and their families.
	Our consultation paper outlines proposals for piloting ways of providing such assistance to bereaved relatives of homicide victims by:
	(a) providing advice and support to relatives during the trial and
	(b) helping bereaved relatives make an oral statement to the court after conviction but before sentencing about the effect of the crime on them.
	The Government intend that the pilot should address a broad range of options for delivering these functions, offering the maximum possible choice to the bereaved. The choices should include an independent advocate, for either or both functions.
	This initiative is part of a larger package of measures to support the victims of crime which will be announced as they become ready.
	Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

NHS and New Medical Technologies: Select Committee Report

Lord Warner: My right honourable friend the Minister of State (Jane Kennedy) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government's response to the Health Committee's Fifth Report of session 2004–05 on the use of new medical technologies within the NHS, Cm 6656, has been published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.

Olympic Games 2012: Ministerial Decisions

Baroness Andrews: My honourable friend the Minister for Housing and Planning has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Because of the wider role that the Deputy Prime Minister may take in relation to the delivery of the 2012 London Olympics, and in order to ensure that the advice set out in the Guidance on Propriety Issues in the Handling of Planning Decisions in ODPM is followed, it has been decided that any planning decisions which fall to Ministers to take in respect of Olympics related developments will be taken by Baroness Andrews, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the ODPM.

Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005: Report to Parliament

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Charles Clarke) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Section 14(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 (the 2005 Act) requires me to report to Parliament as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of every relevant three-month period on my exercise of the control order powers during that period.
	The 2005 Act came into force on 11 March 2005. The second three-month period ended on 10 September. During the period 11 June to 10 September, I made an order with the permission of the court under Section 3(1)(a) of the 2005 Act on 5 September 2005 in respect of a British national.
	I have revoked nine of the orders which I made in the previous quarter against individuals who were formerly certified under Section 21(1) of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.
	There are therefore three control orders currently in force.
	I have refused three requests to modify the obligations in the control orders which I have made. A right of appeal exists in Section 10 of the 2005 Act against a decision by the Secretary of State not to modify an obligation contained in a control order. None of those subject to a control order has exercised this right in respect of the refusals mentioned above.

Royal Air Force: University Air Squadrons

Lord Drayson: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Don Touhig) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	A Royal Air Force study has been conducted to determine the appropriate size, shape and disposition of the University Air Squadrons. The study was commissioned against the background of proposed changes to the future size of the RAF, and of the planned tri-service military flying training system in partnership with industry. The results of the study have been carefully considered and I have decided that University Air Squadron students will no longer undertake elementary flying training while at university, and that elementary flying training will take place on a standard basis for all pilots, after initial officer training.
	There are 14 University Air Squadrons located at 12 airfields across the UK, with a total undergraduate membership of some 1,000. Presently, the main University Air Squadron roles are to attract high calibre graduates into the RAF and to deliver the RAF's elementary flying training task. Elementary flying training is the first stage of RAF pilot training and is currently undertaken by all pilot University Air Squadron members during the course of their degrees and by direct entrant RAF pilots over a six-month period following initial officer training.
	The study concluded that University Air Squadrons should continue to play an important role in engaging university students in RAF experience, but their focus should subtly shift to put more effort into leadership and personnel development training, nurturing recruitment to all branches. Flying will be available to all University Air Squadron members on a voluntary basis, but undergraduates will no longer be required to undertake formal elementary flying training during their university period. Up to 10 hours a year of structured light aircraft flying will still be available to all University Air Squadron undergraduates, including those in ground branches. In future, ex-University Air Squadron graduates joining the RAF as pilots will now undertake elementary flying training alongside other direct entrant pilots.
	Overall, the changes will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the flying training pipeline and, for the University Air Squadron undergraduates, lessen the conflicting pressures to achieve a good degree and the highest standard during elementary flying training. They will create a fairer system, and resolve the inherent inefficiencies caused by undergraduates' elementary flying training being spread over such a long period. University Air Squadrons will now be able to concentrate on the recruitment and personal development of all potential officers regardless of branch preference.
	With effect from autumn, the following airfields will no longer be used for elementary flying training and overall flying hours are expected to reduce: RAF Benson, RAF Cosford, RAF Leuchars, RAF Colerne, RAF Leeming, Glasgow Airport, Boscombe Down, RAF Woodvale and RAF St Athan. RAF Cranwell will see a slight reduction in flying due to a reduced requirement to train instructors, whilst RAF Wyton and RAF Church Fenton will see some increase due to the establishment of new training squadrons to meet the elementary flying training task.
	Light aircraft flying for University Air Squadron members will, however, continue and in some cases, particularly for those in ground branches, be enhanced. If implemented in full, these changes will result in a reduction of 21 RAF posts, but I do not envisage any other significant job implications.

Solicitors (Compensation for Inadequate Professional Services) Order 2005

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government have today laid before Parliament the following instrument:
	Solicitors (Compensation for Inadequate Professional Services) Order 2005.
	The order, made under paragraph 3(2) of Schedule 1A to the Solicitors Act 1974, will raise the maximum limit on the compensation which the Law Society's Council may direct a solicitor to pay on a complaint of inadequate professional service. The limit is raised from £5,000 to £15,000 with effect from 1 January 2006.
	From 1 January, consumers seeking compensation for inadequate professional service will be able to benefit from the increased compensation level which the Law Society can order and avoid the necessity of automatically having to take court action in order to claim redress in those cases.
	The revised limit will apply to those cases where a complaint of inadequate professional service is made to the Law Society by the complainant after 1 January 2006.
	My department and the Law Society are in agreement that raising the compensation level would be in the interest of, and welcomed by, the consumer.
	At present, if the compensation claimed is greater than £5,000 the Law Society cannot deal with it. This means that a complainant frequently has to retain the services of a further solicitor in order to get redress from the solicitor who generated the original complaint. This can be a lengthy and expensive process for a consumer. Raising the limit will enable a far greater proportion of complainants to obtain adequate redress without the need to resort to court proceedings.
	A copy of the order to raise the compensation limit has been placed in the Vote Office and Printed Paper Office.

UN World Summit

Lord Triesman: The 2005 UN World Summit took place in New York from 14 to 16 September. My right honourable friends the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International Development and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs attended for the Government. At the initiative of the UK and other UN member states, the summit included a session devoted to financing for development.
	Overall, the summit delivered a worthwhile package of reforms and commitments. The full text of the outcome document is available at www.un.org/summit2005. Negotiations on the document were at times difficult, reflecting the ambitious agenda and divergence of views between UN member states on several issues. As EU presidency, the UK played an important role in these negotiations. Follow-up work is now under way in several areas to implement the agreements reached.
	The reforms agreed included:
	agreement on the responsibility to protect, acknowledging that the international community should act if states fail to protect their populations from the worst atrocities: genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity;
	good language on development and climate change, with several important Gleneagles outcomes endorsed and new EU commitments welcomed by the broader UN membership. These include the need to accelerate progress towards the millennium development goals and to address the special needs of Africa;
	agreement to create by the end of this year a new peacebuilding commission, to close an institutional gap in the UN's conflict architecture and assist countries emerge from conflict;
	agreement to establish a new Human Rights Council, to replace the much-maligned Commission for Human Rights;
	endorsement of further work to strengthen UN effectiveness in operational activities for tackling humanitarian crises and to ensure more coherent international institutional arrangements for environmental action;
	endorsement of UN Secretariat reforms under way and a mandate to the Secretary-General to make proposals for further reforms in such areas as ethics, accountability/oversight and financial and human resource management; and
	unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestation and, separately, unanimous adoption by the Security Council of the UK's Security Council resolution to prohibit by law incitement of terrorism.
	In some areas the outcome text did not meet our aspirations. Stronger language on terrorism, stating that the targeted killing of civilians is never justified and constitutes an act of terrorism, proved out of reach. Efforts to secure strong language on non-proliferation and disarmament (following disappointment at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference) were unsuccessful. The EU pushed for more extensive reforms of the UN Secretariat. Furthermore, opposition from some countries prevented more detailed modalities being agreed for the new Human Rights Council.
	Some have criticised the summit's outcome document as modest. However, as the Prime Minister said in his speech at the summit, "if we did what we have agreed on doubling aid, on opening up trade, on debt relief, on HIV/AIDS and malaria, on conflict prevention so that never again would the world stand by, helpless when genocide struck, our modesty would surprise. There would be more democracy, less oppression. More freedom, less terrorism. More growth, less poverty."
	The Government are committed to the full and early implementation of the reforms. We will continue to work towards achieving reforms where we wanted to see greater progress.